Thursday, December 11, 2014

Can Art Quilts Influence Views On The Environment?

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend a marvelous art quilt exhibit. It is a SAQA exhibit titled Piecing Together a Changing Planet. Through their art on the 26 quilts, the 22 artists expressed their feelings about climate change and environmental issues affecting our planet and our national parks. The setting of Biscayne National Park in Homestead, Florida where the show premiered is amazingly beautiful. It is set on lovely Biscayne Bay. As I walked toward the building, I was filled with a sense of tranquility and peace as I viewed fish jumping in a small mangrove-lined marina in front of the building and families having picnics just outside. It is a wonderful venue for the show. Although it is located in quite an isolated location, there were a lot of people there in addition to the artists attending the opening reception. I’m sure it will be well visited during its stay.

Maya Schonenberger did a fantastic job curating the show. The quilts are all the same size, well lit, and each has the artist’s statement nicely positioned next to it. They are well spaced along the walls of the auditorium just inside the gift shop and make for a very attractive overall look as you walk in. And each one up close has remarkable details. Also, it was very interesting to see how many different takes there are on the topic from very abstract to realistic and looks at individual animals to global ideas. As usual with SAQA shows, there is a catalogue available for purchase at the SAQA Store.

Here is a sampling of the quilts. I wish I had better photos, but all I had available was my iPad and it doesn’t have a flash.

One of the walls of the exhibit

Is It Safe by
Gabriele Di Tota

Encroachment by
Andrea F. Huffman

Gabriele's piece is about the worry of our food being contaminated.

Andrea's piece is about the importance of mangroves and the worry of encroachment of urban sprawl upon their environment.

Wings of Fire by
Melani K. Brewer

End of Eden by
Bobbi Baugh and John Lewis

Melani's piece is about how climate change has reduced the plants necessary to support the monarch's migration.

Bobbi and John's piece is modeled after a Hieronymus Bosch painting and it depicts modern day personalities and a diminishing water supply down to the last drop at the bottom.

Where Will We Go? by
Gretchen P. Jolles

Last Leaf by
Linda S. Hoffmeister

Gretchen's piece is about displaced wildlife from fires and other disasters caused from climate change.

Linda's piece is about how the introduction of non-native species threatens the existence of native species.

Yes, that's where I was over the weekend too! I was quite surprised at the distance to Biscayne Bay from Miami! But I agree completely with your report- the place was beautiful and I felt that same peace walking towards the building- lovely! I was only about 3 hours from home. Glad you made the extra effort, and glad I did too! (I had to leave early before the opening!

Thank you so much for the posting of a portion of this show. How delighted I am to learn that the exhibit will be north of me by about 3 hours from late July through early September...I will most definitely go! Kristin

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About Me

I am a retired science teacher. I taught at the same public high school for 23 years. I got bit by the art bug in 2000 when I couldn't find a comforter for our bed that I liked and visited our local quilt shop to learn how to make a quilt. Instead, I took a class on making small art quilts and then took workshops, read books and magazines, joined a local art group that specializes in fiber arts, and became obsessed with art and fiber.
One of the big influences in my art is what I see when I travel. I backpacked around the world for 1 1/2 years in between jobs and traveled extensively in the summers while I was teaching. I'm in the process of developing a cohesive body of work which I hope to show you as I progress. I also hope to show you small works I make as distractions from that and for just plain fun.